Suction cleaner



Sept. 20, 1938. s. R. cUMMlNGs 2,130,484

Y sUcTIoN CLEANER Filed March 14, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 BY A . AvrQRNEYSept. 20, 19378. s. R. cUMMlNGs t 2,130,484

SUCTION CLEANER v Filed March 14, 1935 2 Sheets-.Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 2v0, 1938 SUOIION CLEANER Stanley E. Cummings,Canton, Ohio, assig'nor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, h10, a

corporation of Ohio Application March 11i, 1935, Serial No. 11,0 24

13 Claims.

The present invention relates to suction cleaners in general andparticularly tc new and novel improvements in odor-creating means in asuc.- tion cleaner. More specically the invention comprises a suctioncleaner in which motorcooling air is used in the volatilization of aredolent material for the purpose of creating a pleasant odor todisguise the dry dust odor caused by the cleaner operation.

'In the modern suction cleaner foreign matter is removed from a surfacecovering undergoing cleaning and is conveyed therefrom by a movingstream of air. This air stream passes through a filter which removes theforeign matter peri3 mitting the air to pass to the atmosphere. The

modern filter is extremely eective, but despite this effectiveness asmall percentage of very ne material does escape into the atmospherewhere it is noticeable to an operator with extremely sensitive olfactorysenses. To rcnder'unnotice- Aable this characteristic odor of cleaneroperation odorizer units have been incorporated into suction cleanerconstructions. According to the present cinvention an improved odorizerconstruc- 25 tion is incorporated which makes use of motorvcooling airas the means of distribution of the products of volatiiization of thevolatile element included in the odorizer construction.

It is'an object of the present invention to provide a new and improvedlsuction cleaner. llt

is-another object of the invention to provide a new and improved-suction cleaner including an odorizer unit. Still another object is theprovision of a suctioncleaner in which a, secondary air stream throughthe cleaner cools the motor and also performs the function of conveyinginto the atmosphere the' products of volatilizatlon produced by theodorizer unit in y A stili further object is the provision of an odor-4) izer unit in a suction cleaner which is manually controlled and whichmakes use of motor-cooling air. These and other morefspecific objectswill appear upon, reading the following specifications and claims, andupon considering in connection therewith the attached drawings to whichthey relate:

Referring now to the drawings, in which the same reference characterrefers to like parts throughout:

' Fig. l is a sectional view through a suction cleaner constructed inaccordance with the present invention and showing the odbrizer unitlocated at the rear of the motor; Fig. 2- is a partial rear view of themotor and its operation..l

odorizer unit, being taken upon the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal Asection upon the line 3,-.-i3 of Fig. 2 throughthe motorl and odorizer un t;

Fig. 4 is a section upon the line 4 4 of Fig. 3, 5 showing the odorizervalve in the open position,

' the valve being shown in 'its closed position in dotted lines;

Fig. 5 is a section through the odorizer unit lo upon the line 5-5 ofFig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a section upon the line 6-6 o f Fig. 3 showing thespring-and-cam arrangement for holding the valve'in its open or closedpositions;

Fig. 'i is a. fragmentary plan view of a cleaner l5 equipped with amodified form of the present invention; I e

Fig. 8 is a partial vertical section through the cleaner and modiedodorizer unit being taken upon the line of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a transverse vertical sectionthrough the `odorizer unit uponthe line 9 8 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a section upon the line ills-iii of Fig.

8 illustrating the spring means for holding the unit in any adjustedposition; 25.

Fig. l1 is an enlarged section illustrating the sliding valve camadjustment shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. 12 is a section throughv the valve cam adjustment upon the linel2-i2 of Fig. l1;

Fig. 13 is a section upon the line it-it of 30 Fig. 11;

Fig. 14 is a' showing of the rotatable cam element; l

Fig. l5 is an end view of the element shown in Fig. 14; 35

Fig. 16 isl a view of the pin-actuated plunger included in the valveadjustment.

Referring now to Figures 1; to 6, inclusive. the lrst preferredembodiment of the.V present invention is illustrated. The invention isincorporated in a modern suction cleaner including a nozzle i which isconnectedto a fan chamber 2 by an air passageway I. An exhaust outlet 4from the fan chamber opens intoa. removable dust bag '5. .A motor casing8 is positioned immedi- 45 ately -above fan chamber 2 and houses a motorcomprising a stationary eld 1 and a rotating armature 8. The motor shaftextends downwardly into the fan chamber 2 where lit carries thesuction-creating fan I0, which functions in 50 the operation of themachine to draw -cleaning air from the point of cleaning at the nozzleand to exhaust it into the dust bag. At the lower end of the shaft isformed a pulley Il. A powertransmitting belt It extends from the pulley55 through the air passageway 3 into the nozzle I where it engages arotating agitator Il. agitator is of a common and well-known typeincluding beating elements and brushes and is adapted to cooperate withthe moving air stream to eect the removal of foreign matter from thesurface covering undergoingcleaning. As in the usual suction cleaner,wheels I4 are provided adjacent the nozzle and below the exhaust outletI for the purpose of rendering the machine easily movable. An unshownhandle makes it possible to propel the machine.

To maintain a desirable operating temperature in the motor, there isprovided a motor ventilating fan II which is positioned immediatelybelow the armature 8 and adjacent the plate or wall common to the motorcasing and toVA the Afan chamber and which is indicated by the referencecharacter I6. Fan II is adapted to `draw air through upper ports i1,formed in the motor casing, downwardly past the armature l and neld 1,and to exhaust that air radially outward through ports Il, i8 formed inthe motor casing Y l. The stream of air in passing over the motorremoves therefrom the heat generated in its operation. e

In the usual cleaner construction a decorative housing is provided overthe exhaust ports il,

Il formed in the motor casing for the motorcooling air. According to thepresent invention a housing 20 is provided adjacent the motor casing andthe ports I 8. I! which is not only ornamental but has an additionalfunction. Housing 2| is positioned at the rear of the motor casing I andlies in contact therewith, being removably secured by aplurality ofscrews 2l, Il. An extended peripheral port 22 is formed by the rearwardside of housing 20 above the exhaust outlet 4 which permits of theescape of the air which has been exhausted from the motor casing.

Housing 20 is shown as a separate housing member from the casing proper,but it could well be ma@ ns an integral part of the casing withoutchanging its function or use.

Housing 2li serves not only as a continuation of themotorcasing, butalso as the casing of an odorizer unit. A cylindrical internal seat Ilis formed within the housing and is adapted to receive and seat aremovable vial 2l containing a volatile element. with a central opening25. on the inner side of which is positioned s. peripheral seal 20 whichthe open mouth oi' vial contacts. The outer end of seat 2l is at theside of housing 2l and is closed by a pivoted closure member 21 which islocked in closing position by a manually operable leaf spring latch 2l.On its inner side closure 21 is provided with a spring-urged member ilwhich contacts the outer end of the vial to hold that member against theseal 2l.

At the end of seat 23 and adjacent opening 2l is provided al valve 3|pivoted upon a pin l2 and formed with a lever 3l which extends outwardlythroughthe casing into a position where it can be operated by the user.Valve 3| is adapted to assume two positions. 'I'hese two positions are Dindicated by the words On and OH" found The 'mosphera I'he inner end ofseat 23 is provided' tends mte the direct 'pathway er the air betweenthe epeihng ls end the exhaust eutlet n ma a1- rects that air upwardlypast the mouth of the vial and outwardly through louvers M formed in thetop wall of the housing 2l. The passage of the air by the open mouth. ofthe volatile-element-containing vial results in the volatilization ofthat element and the creating of a pleasant odor in the surroundingatmosphere as the air mixes therewith.

With the valve moved to its off" position, lillustrated in Figure 3, thelouvers u are closed by the valve and the opening Il is sealed from theair passing through the housing. In this relstionship practically novolatilization of the element within the vial 24 takes place.

'Ihe valve is held in either its on or "off" positions by means of a camII carried upon the valve which is contacted by a spring Il carried bythe housing. In the movement of the valve from its on to its oiIposition, or vice versa, the cam passes over center relative to thespring and thereafter the spring tends to hold the cam. and so the valvein the position in which it is located. A slight pressure upon theoperating lever Il is sumcient to overcome this holding force exerted bythe spring.

To positionga vial containing a fresh vvolatile element in the seat 2lit is only necessary for the operator to pivot outwardly the closuremember 21,'first having depressed the sprih latch 2l. and to remove theold vial replaclngi by a new vial.

Referring now to Figures 'I to 16, inclusiv. the

4. second preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed. According.to this form of the invention the general arrangement of the cleaner isexactly the same as in the embodiment first described. The housing 20,in a modified form. is again positioned at the rear of the motor casing6 and is provided with an exhaust port 22 through which air, which haspassed from the motor opening, 'or openings, I8 escapes into at-According to the present embodiment of the invention housing 2l isshaped toaccommodate a block 40 instead oi' the vial 2l which wasincorporated in the previous embodiment. A rectangular container Il isprovided in housing 2l, the top of which is normally closed by a pivotedcover plate 42 provided with a latch member Container 4I is providedwith spaced parallel slots I4, u ln its forward wall and in its bottomwall which interiorly connects it with the sir stream passing from themotor tothe exterior atmosphere between the ports il and II.

Within container 4|, and slidable longitudinally thereof, is a valveelement 4I which is opentopped and similar in shape to the container butof smaller size. Valve element 4l is provided with slots 4I of the samesine and spacing as the slots Il, M in the container. With the valve boxin its extreme left position. as illustrated in Figure 9, the slots ofthe container and of the valve element are alined and air from the motoris free to enter the interior of the valve. With the valve element movedto the right the slots are moved out of alignment and the interior ofthe valve is sealed from the motor cooling air. Leaf springs Il, 4Icontacting the sid of the valve function to hold it in any set position.

At one end of the container 4I is -positioned s. manually operableadjusting mechanism for positioning the sliding valve member Il withinthe container. 'Ihis mechanism comprises arotatable knurled knob 41which is carried upon the 75 sleeve 48 is rotatably mounted within a-bearing seat 5I formed-'in the end of container 4l and is hollow forits entire length. Within sleeve 48 is positioned a sliding plungerelement 52 prof vided with a radial pin 53 which exte'nds outwardlythrough the; cam way formed in 'the sleeve and into a slot 54 formed inthe seat 5I, which extends parallel to the plunger. The forward end ofplunger 52 abuts the side wall of valve member 45, and is secured'thereto by a bolt memberl 55.

To adjust the odorizer unit to its operative relationship the operatorrotates the knurled'member il until the word On formed thereon, asillustrated in Figure 7, appears opposite a pointer impressed upon thetop of bearing seat 5i. The rotation of the element 4l results in therotation of the cam sleeve d8 in its bearing 5i. As sleeve i8 rotatesthe pin 55 carried by a plunger lii; is moved axially of the plungermoving the elemenarespectively, are in alignment and the air passingfrom the motor to atmosphere passes through the container and the valveelement,

- as illustrated in Figure 8. With the block it of volatile` materialpositioned therein upon sup-A porting ribs 56 which are provided tospace the block from the apertures a slight distance, air will pass inand through the container and valve and into direct contact with thevolatile element.

'Io render the unit inoperative it is necessary only to rotate theknurled member il inthe opposite direction from that aioredescribedresulting in the movement of the plunger 52 to the right, as illustratedin Figures 9 andv 11.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner, suction-creating means including a fan andadriving motor, a motorcooling fan driven by said motor and adapted todraw clean motor-cooling air only thereover, and an odorizer unitpositioned in the pathway of the motor-cooling air only.

2. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle, a fan chamber connected to saidnozzlefa suction-creating fan positioned in said chamber adapted ,tomove dirt-laden air, a motor connected to said fan, a clean air pathwaythrough said motor, a second fan driven by said motor adapted. to moveclean air through said motor, and an odorizer unit in the pathway of theair moved by said second fan only.-

3. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle, a fan chamber connected to saidnozzle, a' suction-creating fan positioned in said chamber adapted todraw dirt-laden air from said nozzle, a motor casing adjacent said fanchamber, a motor in said cas*- ing connected to said fan, amotor-cooling fan positioned in said casing adapted to move clean airfrom the atmosphere therethru and past said motor, and an odorized unitin the pathway of the air thru said motor casing.

4.-The construction recitedfbythe preceding claim characterized in thatthe air thru said motor casing first passes over said motor to be warmedand then into contact with said odorizer unit.

`5. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle, a fan cham ber. connected to saidnozzle, a suction-creating fan positioned in said chamber, a motorcasing adjacent said fan chamber, a motor in said casing connected to'said fan, said casing being provided with ports above and below saidmotor,

Aa motor-cooling fan in said casing arranged to draw air thereinto thruthe upper port past said motor and to exhaust it thru said lower port,

lan odorizer unit housing adjacent said casing enclosing the lower portof said casing and formed with anl exhaust port, and a body of odorizingAmaterial in said housing adapted to be contacted by air passingtherethru.

6. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle, afan chamber connected to saidnozzle, a suction-creating fan positioned in said chamber, a motorcasing adjacent said fan chamber, a motor in said casing connected tosaid fan, said casing being provided with openings above and below saidmotor,

amotor-cooling fan in said casing arranged to draw air thereinto thruthe upper opening past said motor and Ato exhaust it thru said loweropening, an odorizer unit housing adjacent said casing enclosing thelower opening of said casing and formed with an exhaust port, a body ofvolatile material in said housing adapted to'be contacted by air passingtherethru, and manually operable means `to close said material to`saidair.

7, In a suction cleaner, a nozzle, a fan chamber connected to saidnozzle, a suction-creating fan positioned in said chamber, a motorcasing ad- `acent said fan chamber, a motor in said casing connected tosaid fan, said casing being provided material in said housing adapted tobe contacted by air passing therethru and out thru said second -which isfree of volatile material, a second exhaust port in said housing,I abody of volatile exhaust port only, and a manually operable valve l'controlling' the iiow of air thrugh said exhaust ports and adapted toseal said volatile'material or to expose said material to the air insaid housing. Y v

8. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle, a fan chamber .connected to saidnozzle, a suction-creating fan positioned in said chamber to drawdirt-laden air from said nozzle, a motor connected to'said fan, a second-smaller capacity fan driven by said motor todraw clean air only-oversaid motor from the atmosphere, a volatile element container in thepathway of the air moved by said second fan, a slidable valve movable toseal said element from said air, and rotary means to control theposition of said valve.

9. Ina suction cleaner, a nozzle, a ian chamber connected to saidnozzle, a suctiong-creating fan positioned in said chamber, a motorcasing adjacent said fan chamber, a motor in said casing connected tosaid fan, said casing being provided with ports above and below saidmotor, a motorcooling fan in said casing arranged to draw air thereintothru the upper port past said motor and to exhaust it thru said lowerport, an odorizer unit housing adjacent said casing enclosing the iadapted to receive a body of volatile material, and

ranged to draw air thereinto through a first port past said motor and toexhaust it through a second port at the opposite end of said motor, anodorlzer unit housing adjacent said casing enclosing the second port otsaid casing and formed itself with an exhaust port,I and a body ofodorizing material in said housing adapted to be contacted by airpassing therethrough.

11. In a suction cleaner. a dirt-laden-air passageway, suction-creatingmeans to move air through said eway including a main -ian and a drivingmotor, said motor including a stator, a rotor. and a casing,.means tomove clean cooling air trom the atmosphere over said motor comprisln'gaian. an odorizer unit arranged to be l contacted by air from said motor,and means to control the ilow of air through said element.

12. In a suction cleaner, suction-creating means including a drivingmotor, a motor-cooling fan driven by said motor and adapted to drawmotor-cooling 'air only thereover, an odoriler unit including avolatile-element-containing vial positioned in the pathway of themotor-cooling air only. and means to control manually the oontact o! airwith the interior of said vial.

13. In a suction cleaner, suction-creating means including a drivingmotor; a motor-cooling fan driven by said motor and adapted to Adrawmotor-cooling air only thereover, an odorir unit including a containerfor a cake ot volatile element positioned in the pathway of themotorcooling air only, and means to control-manually the passage oi airthrough said container.

STANLEY R.

